Catheter-based surgery is advantageously used in various connections to treat body organs with minimal incision size and clearance of the organs. As an example, cardiac arrhythmias may be treated by various catheter-based ablation techniques to destroy arrhythmogenic parts of the cardiac tissue. Specifically, radio-frequency (RF) ablation, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) or cryo-ablations of the tissue are commonly used.
In connection with the ablation process of cardiac tissue, it is commonly used to monitor the temperature of the probe during the ablation process. Since the probe is in close proximity with the tissue during the ablation process, the probe temperature reflects the tissue temperature. In some devices of the prior art, the ablation profile may be controlled by the temperature, and direct thermal feedback may be used to titrate the ablation energy.
The US patent application no. 2006/0030844 A1 discloses to use a transparent electrode suitable for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of tissue. It is disclosed to cover a transparent material with a conductive coating so that the conductive coating is capable of delivering RF energy to the tissue, while the combined system of transparent material and coating is transparent to radiation from various imaging modalities. Different surface temperature means for measuring the temperature are disclosed. For example, it is disclosed to place a thermocouple on the electrode surface.
The placement of thermocouple on the electrode surface however puts the thermocouple in the field of view. While this may be acceptable for some application, this may not be the case for all applications. Moreover, there is still a need in the art for alternative or improved temperature sensing solutions, suitable for use in connection with catheter-based surgery.